“To know thyself”: A qualitative exploration of motivating factors for dominants that participate in or hold BDSM and kink identities

Kunstman, Briana Louise

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129166 Copy

Description

Title

“To know thyself”: A qualitative exploration of motivating factors for dominants that participate in or hold BDSM and kink identities

Author(s)

Kunstman, Briana Louise

Issue Date

2025-02-11

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Derringer, Jaime

Committee Member(s)

Briley, Ava

Department of Study

Psychology

Discipline

Psychology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• BDSM
• kink
• alternative sexuality
• stigma
• qualitative

Abstract

The motivations behind a person’s involvement in BDSM and kink are widely misunderstood, which further perpetuates stigma towards those who engage in BDSM and kink or are a part of the community. This worsens general member’s mental health so much so that in BDSM practitioners there is an association of stigma-related shame and guilt with suicidal ideation (Roush et al., 2017). To work towards the de-stigmatization of BDSM and kink, research must assess the motivations of those in the community. Prior work suggests that Sadomasochistic practices in general function as self-help for people in the community (Beckmann, 2001). We collected online interviews completed by BDSM and kink community members to assess themes related to motivations specifically related to self-identified role. Participants were asked 10 free-response questions regarding their motivations and experiences. The current study evaluated the themes present among 32 participants reporting Dominant identities. We found that participants’ descriptions of their motivations for being a Dominant consistently referred to five themes: upbringing/past experience; identity vs. practice; control and power exchange; connection, fulfillment, and self-expression and individual/ community values. This shows that there are complex motivating factors for participants to engage with or identify as Dominant, opening potential directions of exploration to understand the development of kink and BDSM identities and experiences. These findings help work towards the destigmatization and depathologizing of kink and BDSM which will in turn allow for better mental health outcomes for community members, informed safe practice, and improved general understanding of BDSM and kink identities in our society.

Graduation Semester

2025-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129166

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Briana Kunstman

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